Thanks for taking the time to write this comment. This is everything I felt while watching, and more! It’s comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way while watching the movie.

Gaston- in the 1991 version he has a jerk but believable as a town hero. He evolved into a murderous villain slowly. One could see how an entire town could be deceived. In the new one he is so hammy and evil that you wonder why anyone would follow him. Also his death was so contrived it almost made me laugh.

The Beast- In the original it is his temper that continually gets him into trouble. His passions are misdirected into aggression and at times violence. It is not that he is misunderstood it is that he wont allow himself, or anyone, to get past his anger and bitterness to see what’s within. It is only when he finally controls his temper in the battle with Gaston without loosing his passion that he comes into his own. The 2017 version turned him into a morose mediocre character. On top of that they try to divert responsibility for his actions to his father.

Belle- probably the biggest disappointment in the film. Her character was butchered by an actress who couldn’t act or sing and a screen writer who didn’t understand the source material. Anyone who understands stockholm syndrome (the medical term for brainwashing) knows that the 1991 Belle did NOT have it. But, as if to prove she didn’t, this film tries to take away any sweetness or elegance from her character. Watching the 1991 classic one realizes that it is Belle’s promise that is keeping her captive rather then the Beast physically doing so. When he releases her he releases her from her promise, thus setting her free. This is a nod to the original fairy tale that resonates as true to life while showing both Belle’s and the Beast’s nobility. In the new movie her constant focus on getting away made it hard to believe she was forming a genuine attachment to the Beast. There was no chemistry. She was overall dull. Also the all the doubt and trepidation Belle would naturally feel when the Beast changes back into a man was expressed by a tilted head and expressionless face.

Storyline- The Beast releases Belle when she was the only hope of breaking the spell thus condemning his servants to death? They would change into furniture and die. Why would they get a worse punishment then the Beast? He wont die just remain a beast. This was confusing.
The worst part of the film was that Belle and the Beast did NOT break the spell. The sorceress did. If she was not there the Beast and inhabitants of the castle would all be dead. The love between the two protagonists was to late (oh, and the Beast never says he loves Belle, Mrs. Potts did) they did not have the power to break it on their own. I hated this. Overall everything was so campy it became shallow, the exact opposite the story of Beauty and the Beast is supposed to convey.

I’m sorry about the rant. I am just so sick of the praise this movie is getting. It is unwarranted and I don’t think will ever stand the test of time, but because of the hype and support I fear Disney and other studios will continue to turn out bad movies that cater only to sensationalism instead of great stories.

I agree with you on the pacing! In the original, everything felt just right. But this one felt so rushed from scene to scene. Perhaps it’s because they kept so many elements from the original while also trying to add in new points that the film just couldn’t keep up.

What I love is that we have both perspectives on this site. Your review is much more glowing that mine. I’m not sure why, but this movie just wasn’t for me. Perhaps I’m such a purist that I couldn’t get over that fact while watching it. Not sure. Either way, there were positives about this film, but overall, like you mentioned, it’s probably not one I’ll be revisiting.

And yes, The Jungle Book is fantastic and so well done! What I think made that successful is that they took plot elements from the books that weren’t covered in the original film. So we had tons to explore without it feeling like a rehashing of the 60s version.

My aunt and I both liked it enough. It’s a way better rendition than Maleficent was in my personal opinion.

I fully agree with everything this guy wrote. I sat through this miserable over-budget, over-hyped knockoff of a film. What ruined it for me most of all was the auto-tune though. Me being a musician, I was _easily_ able to pick up the auto-tune on Emma’s voice, and especially in the opening song, it was just absolutely dreadful.

The other problem this film had that I don’t think was mentioned here, was the awkward timing of some scenes. To give a specific example of what I’m referring to, the scene where the Beast is dying felt really rushed to me. It didn’t feel like there was any build-up to where he starts floating in midair and transforms.

Three _good_ things about this film would have to be the sets, a couple key scenes that were basically recreations from the original film, and the CGI was amazing. It’s actually a very visually pleasing film to watch. Everything looks aesthetically really good and carefully crafted. But this film is a fine example of “better graphics don’t make a better video game”. (even though this isn’t a video game :P).

This may not be a movie I’ll revisit regularly, but for what it is, I really think this remake was done well. That said, I still think Cinderella is the best of the modern live action remakes we have got 🙂

I’m with you. Nothing will beat the original, but this remake was mostly done well.